Gears of War 3 Xbox 360 Live 12 Month Gold Subscription Card Accessories

Gears of War 3 Xbox 360 Live 12 Month Gold Subscription Card Product Details

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• Cliffy B insists there'll be no direct sequel to Gears of War 3

  When you complete the single player campaign of Gears of War 3, you'll be reaching a definitive end to the trilogy with no teasers for Part 4. So promises lead designer and all round development celebrity Cliffy B in an interview with VG247.

  "I'm glad we've been able to put the trilogy in its tidy little package with a bow on it and put it under the Christmas tree for gamers", he told the site, although he may be a little premature for the festive market. "I won't spoil it for you", he continues, "but when you finish the game and the credits roll there's no magic thing after the credits saying, 'Now there's a new threat coming'".

  Does that mean the end of Marcus Fenix and his lovable gang of beefy scamps? "If we were to do something else in the future, I hope we'd find a fresh take on it. Fresh, not only for us as developers, but also for the consumers".

  Epic Games announced at gamescom that it has five projects on the go at the moment, and with the sales for Gears 3 sure to soar into the millions, it seems fair to assume we'll be returning to that universe eventually, if not this particular story.

  For now, let's just count the hours until Tuesday and rev our imaginary chainsaws.

  Gears of War 3 stamps onto Xbox 360 on September 20th.

• Gears of War 3 Midnight Launch at Oxford Street

  Gearing up at Midnight

  You could feel the excitement in the air as a crowd of die-hard Gears of War fans waited patiently for Gears of War 3, the epic climax in the Xbox exclusive trilogy, to be released.

  At the front of the queue were two fans that had been there for 33 hours, patiently waiting to grab their copies of Gears 3 and then get home. These two gamers are the reason for Midnight Launches, the hardcore fans! John, the first in line, was well rewarded for his loyalty to the Gears series as he received the Console armour whilst he queued.

  There was another attraction that had drawn the crowds to GAME in Oxford Street, Carlos Ferro, or Dom Santiago as he is known to the Gears Community. He had shunned the glitz of the American launch parties to come to London and pay his respects to the diligent fans that have made Gears of War a massive success!

  Carlos went out and spoke to the fans in the street before the doors had opened and was always approachable.

  
  

  

  First in line for Gears of War 3

  

  
  

  At 11:30 the first group of fans were brought into the store and stood around a TV. Footage from Gears started to roll before being replaced by Cliff Blezinski, the man behind Gears of War. The message was short but sweet. He thanked the fans for coming out to the launch, apologised for not being there as he was in New York and hoped they enjoyed the game.

  With that it was back to some action packed Gears footage before the Microsoft circle spun, bringing an end to the message of thanks from the Gears creator. The group applauded the message, truly grateful that Cliff had taken time out to show his appreciation for the fans.

  They moved to the front of the store where their copies of Gears of War 3 waited for them, still sealed and unplayed. The queue inside the store grew even longer as more people were let into the warmth and closer to the game they have been so patiently waiting for. With John and his friends at the tills and the excitement building, Carlos Ferro stood on the tills.

  He shouted "SUP B*TCHES", much to the crowd’s delight. An almost 300 strong group returned the compliment, shouting his characters most quoted line. Carlos thanked the gamers for turning up stating that he could have been in America celebrating the launch with friends, but instead he felt he needed to be here, in London!

  He went on to say that John, would not only be walking out with the goodie bag that he had received at the till and the Gears Xbox Armour, but he would also be walking out with a 40" LCD TV for being the first in the queue. The crowd applauded and John looked ecstatic with his unexpected treat.

  10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1! The crowd roared and the staff sprung into action grabbing preordered Standard, Limited and EPIC editions, Gears Consoles, strategy guides and the new Gears of War 3 control pads. With games in hand the first owners of Gears of War 3 walked to the front of the store where Carlos was waiting with his pen to sign one of this year’s biggest releases.

  Throughout the night pizza and energy drinks were provided to the cold and hungry Gears of War fans that would not leave until they had their copy. With John being the first recipient of a new TV, Carlos drew 4 more raffle tickets, so some more lucky Gears fans could go home with a shiny new TV to enjoy Gears 3 on.

  The queue flowed well throughout the night and didn't seem to be shrinking in size. For most of the night the lines for Gears of War 3 stretched right around the corner of Oxford Street. It wasn't until 2:30am that the queue finally started to end, 2 1/2hrs after the game was officially launched.

  To Carlos' credit his enthusiasm never waned throughout the 4 hour event, he was being questioned by the press, fans, signing autographs and doing TV spots. But whenever he went out for some air, he never stood alone, he would walk up and down the queue talking to fans shouting "SUP B*TCHES" and even bowing to one fan’s request to scream "MARIAAAA" as he did in Gears of War 2! To be honest, he never looked more comfortable than when he was talking to the fans!

  Then it was over. The last customer had been served and the shop was empty save for a few press members and Carlos still signing copies of the game. As I said goodbye to Carlos and the guys at Oxford Street, I thought about all the launches I had been to previously. To my mind none had drawn a bigger crowd, with the staying power that these guys had, especially when you consider that Gears of War is only on Xbox 360.
  

  Written by Tom Daly

  Published: 20/09/2011

• Meaty updates and DLC planned for Gears of War 3

  Are you playing Gears of War 3? If not, why not? It's out now, dummy. But if you are playing it, rest assured that Epic Games aims to keep you playing it for the foreseeable future.

  As well as working on multiple title updates for the game, aimed at tweaking and refining the experience, there are also bold plans in place for downloadable content in the future, including new multiplayer maps and co-operative campaigns. What you won't see is series heroes Dom and Marcus. Their story comes to a close at the end of Gears of War 3 and won't be part of any subsequent expansions.

  "One thing I can tell you is that you're not going to see Marcus or Dom or Cole in it," Gears director Cliffy B told posh newspaper The Daily Telegraph. "I believe that DLC should be unique and cool, like [GTA's] Lost and the Damned, Gay Tony, [Borderlands] Mad Moxie's Underdome Riot. All those kind of things. DLC's the place where you play and have fun. So that's one thing that's an indication of where things may be going in the future."

  Also in the future are more games set in the Gears universe, though what form these might take remains a mystery. "We could do first person, we could do an RTS, we could do anything with it" teased Cliffy, presumably before riding off on a giant tank made of bones and spikes.

  Gears of War 3 is exclusive to Xbox 360 and is out now. Like, right now. There's a copy just waiting for you.

• Fans flock to GAME for Gears of War 3 midnight launch

  Gears of War fans have descended on their local GAME stores to get hold of their copies of the newest instalment in the blockbuster series, Gears of War 3.

  More than 500 gamers turned up at the flagship GAME outlet on Oxford Street in London to pick up the new Xbox 360 title, an event marked by giveaways, contests and an appearance by Carlos Ferro, who plays Dom Santiago in the game.

  This was just one of more than 20,000 retail events taking place worldwide to celebrate the release of the final chapter in Epic Games' sci-fi trilogy, which has been met with glowing reviews.

  Telling the story of Marcus Fenix and Delta Squad's final stand against the Locust Horde, it introduces new four-player cooperative features and extra multiplayer modes, alongside a dramatic and emotional campaign.

  Epic Games design director Cliff Bleszinski said: "This is our biggest Gears game yet and even though it's the third instalment in the trilogy, it's the easiest to jump into if you're a new fan."

  Gears of War 3 is available across the UK now in three different editions: the standard version and the bonus-packed Limited Edition.

  Published: 21/09/2011

• Gears of War 3 blasts past three million sales

  Gears of War 3 has set shop tills ringing across the world after storming past the three million sales mark in a little over a week since its debut.

  The Xbox 360 blockbuster has proven to be a chart-topping smash hit in many countries, including the UK, and already ranks as the top-grossing videogame of the year to date.

  Gears 3's barnstorming start means that the acclaimed franchise has become one of the few to surpass the billion-dollar mark in lifetime sales, making it the first Xbox-exclusive series of this generation to do so.

  Microsoft corporate vice-president Phil Spencer said: 'Gears of War was the first killer app for Xbox 360 and the series has continued to contribute directly to the overall success of the platform ever since.'

  Epic Games' trilogy finale has earned plaudits from gaming critics worldwide and chronicles hero Marcus Fenix and his Delta Squad comrades' last battle against the monstrous Locust.

  The game is also proving to be a huge multiplayer draw, with more than three million users logging on to Xbox Live to try out new modes such as Beast and Horde 2.0.

  Published: 03/10/2011

• Gears of War 3 to receive first DLC pack this November

  Epic Games has announced that the first batch of downloadable content for the smash hit Gears of War 3 will be coming to Xbox 360 this November.

  The Horde Command Pack add-on will be released via Xbox Live on November 1st 2011 and will introduce new maps, characters, items and Achievements for the ever-popular Horde mode.

  New arenas will see gamers doing battle in a ruined medical plaza, a decommissioned battleship or an island combat zone, with new fortification upgrades available for command centres, sentries and decoys.

  The DLC also introduces Onyx Guard, Big Rig Dizzy and Bernie as playable characters and adds two extra weapon skins, with all upgrades also usable in Beast and Versus modes.

  Gears of War 3 enjoyed the most successful debut for a Gears game yet when it launched last month, ranking as the fastest-selling console exclusive of the year.

  Published: 07/10/2011

• Gears of War 3: Fenix Rising DLC on the way

  Gears of War 3: Fenix Rising DLC on the way

  Epic Games has announced that the latest batch of downloadable content for Gears of War 3 is set to be released next month.

  Entitled Fenix Rising, the new DLC pack adds new multiplayer maps and character skins, plus a new level-up system that will provide an extra challenge for hardcore players.

  Using the new Re-up system, gamers who manage to attain the coveted level 100 ranking will be able to resest their level back to the beginning and start again, allowing them to unlock exclusive bonuses for doing so multiple times.

  Meanwhile, the new maps will include environments such as Academy, Anvil, Escalation and The Slab, letting players do battle in famous locales from the Gears universe.

  Gears of War 3 has proven to be one of the year's biggest and most acclaimed Xbox 360 titles, with multiple DLC packs having been released for the game thus far.

  The most recent, RAAM's Shadow, was released earlier this month and allows fans to play as the infamous villain General RAAM.

  Published: 23/12/2011

• Gears of War 3: Raam's Shadow Review

  Raam's Shadow was released on the 13th of December 2011 and puts you in Llima City, before the events of Gears of War 1, shortly after E-Day as the Locust Horde sweeps aside all human resistance.

  What's in Raam's Shadow?

  Raam's Shadow contains both the COG and the Locust perspective, on events within Llima city and the events that unfold there.

  • The COG - Reuniting you with some old (younger looking) friends in the form of Tai Kaliso and Lt. Minh Young Kim, and introducing Michael Barrick from the Gears of War comics and a new lady-gear Alicia Velera to complete Zeta squad. You're currently tasked with evacuating civilians out of Llima City, before the Kryll (yay Kryll!) eat everything!
  • The Locust - You are General Raam, and this DLC really puts you firmly in his wall smashing, car hurling boots. You have a swarm of Kryll at your disposal and (in our opinion) the most brutal Execution, we've yet done, and in the violent universe of Gears of War that's a decent Exectuion. As Raam, you lead a covert team (read: big stompy Maulers) under simple instructions from the Locust Queen Myrrah, Summon seeders, and fill the sky with black ink and Nemacyst and block out the sun, to allow the Kryll to attack with impunity, and ravage the city of Llima.

  

  How does it play?

  Raam's Shadow feels like all the good bits of Gears of War 1, but with all the tweaks and crisp visuals that Gears of War 3 gave us, along with the four player co-op and the new weaponry such as retro lancers and one shots (watch out Raam).

  Much of the gameplay is like GoW1, surrounded on all sides, in a urban environment leaving you fighting for your life and the next check point it's a refreshingly enjoyable experience. But then it mixes it up with really interesting Wretch and Ticker levels that will offer a challenge to anyone.

  Raam's Shadow is around 3 hours in length and also offers an extremely atmospheric experience, that is only heightened by the inevitability of the outcome, we know that the city will die, right from the very beginning and watching Zelta squad battle their way through Llima, knowing how events will unfold in the later games add a real sense of tragedy to the proceedings.
  

  Summary

  3 hours of campaign play, additional multiplayer character & weapon skins as well as access to General Raam, the biggest baddest boy in Sera! A great atmospheric, story-based experience and one that no Gears fan should miss! Out now for 1200 Microsoft points, pick up your points, grab your DLC and enjoy totally new Gears of War 3 experience.

  

  Published: 20/01/2012

• "Never say never": Epic teases Gears of War first-person shooter

  Gears of War was developed from the ground up as a third-person shooter based around its duck and cover gameplay, but that doesn't mean that now the Gears universe is well established, the studio won't consider making an FPS set in that world, if fans demand it.

  "I'm a big believer in never say never," executive producer Rod Fergusson told Official Xbox Magazine in the current issue, out this week. "It's all about what's interesting in the industry at the time and where fans want us to take it. We don't want to say never but it's not on the top of my mind either. We look at what makes sense and move in that direction."

  Right now, all eyes are on Gears of War: Judgment, which sees Epic handing the series over to People Can Fly, the developer responsible for crazy shooter Bulletstorm. The change in developer has also led to a change in pace, thanks to a new AI system which changes the behaviour and location of enemies on each playthrough. "Our Gears game was heavily scripted - lots of cinematics, big storytelling stuff," Fergusson says. "People Can Fly is very much about things in level with a high replayability because of the Smart Spawn System, which brought to it by changing the AI. So yeah, PCF's campaign is a different campaign, but at its heart it's Kilo squad, and Lancers and taking cover - it's a Gears game."

  Gears of War: Judgment is set for release on Xbox 360 in March 2013.

  Published: 06/08/2012

• Games you can't afford to miss from 2011

  
  

  There's no denying it, we've been spoiled rotten by the flood of quality games this year. There isn't enough time in the day to get through them all! Fortunately, the Christmas holidays are here to give us a little more time to catch up on the best of 2011.

  We've hand-picked a selection of games from this year's release schedule that are all worthy of your Christmas Gaming time...

  Batman Arkham City

  

  A comic hero game that turned out to be very good? We were left speechless when Arkham Asylum was released in 2009. Even more incredibly, Rocksteady Studios' sequel managed to be even better than the first!

  Batman Arkham City sets you in a massive open world, players assume the role of a Batman imprisoned in the sprawling super-prison of Arkham City. Every nemesis you could hope for makes an appearance in the game - as well as an epic storyline offering dozens of hours of gameplay, there's a huge quantity of sidequests and missions to explore once you've put the baddies to bed.

  Uncharted 3

  

  This third outing for Nathan Drake is his grandest adventure yet. Set amongst deserts, lost cities and ruins, Uncharted 3 is a technically astonishing PlayStation 3 game that features all of the exploration, fighting and explosive set-pieces we've come to expect from the series.

  Better multiplayer, more customisation options and some of the most impressive motion-capture animations to hit gaming make Uncharted 3 an unmissable, cinematic rollercoaster. Don't miss out on one of gaming's finest adventures.

  The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim

  

  If you can't get your money's worth out of a game like The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim, you're very hard to please indeed! Bethesda's follow-up to the best-selling game Oblivion left players and critics alike reeling. A gorgeously rendered, enormous world stuffed with terrifying dungeons, endless quest-lines and open-world dragon fights, Skyrim packs more content into a side-quest than most games manage full stop.

  Are you an archer, berserker, magician or rogue? Whatever your play-style, there's a highly customisable role for you in this most epic of RPGs. Hundreds of hours of gameplay are here for players to gorge themselves on, all spread across a game that is likely to become one of the most fondly remembered of this generation. The greatest RPG of all time? It might just be.

  Gears of War 3

  

  Tying up all the loose ends of the previous games, this climax to the best-selling Gears of Wars franchise sees Marcus Fenix and co set out to finish the Locust Horde once and for all in Gears of War 3. Some of the most awesome baddies the series has ever seen make their appearance in this conclusion, and there'll be no shortage of sweaty palms once the fighting's over.

  Multiplayer provides endless re-playability for the game, as you team up with friends to take on wave after wave of Locust forces. If you'd rather rip your friend's face off than lend a helping hand, you can now fight as the enemy, raining horrible destruction on your whole family once the Christmas pudding's gone down.

  FIFA 12

  

  Once mocked by gamers for churning out what often amounted to little more than annual updates, EA has been on a charm-offensive these last five years or so, bringing significant innovation and improvements to their flagship footie title every single time.

  FIFA 12 sees the introduction of a far more dynamic system for defending where you can link up with an AI defender to put pressure on attackers. Head to Head seasons allow you to take part in a highly competitive ladder tournament, while simply playing the game also adds points to your chosen club. It's as addictive as ever, and about as fully-featured a sports game as we could hope for.

  The Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword

  

  The perfect game to settle into while the family are having a good old row downstairs,The Ledgend of Zelda Skyward Sword will charm the pants off you with it's perfect telling of the classic Zelda tale, mixed with the best combat and world design the series has ever seen.

  Set prior to the events of the N64 (and now 3DS) classic Ocarina of Time, Skyward Sword starts off in a beautiful cloud city by the name of Skyloft. Of course, it's not long until Link's childhood friend Zelda is whisked off into the lands below, beginning a fantastic journey of world exploration, soaring flight, and devilishly tricky dungeons. Skyward Sword is a must-play for any Zelda fans, past or present.

  Published: 14/12/2011

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